Main menu

GT Academy winner Heitkotter's next step is the 24 Hours of Dubai

November 2, 2011

The Nissan 370Z made up one phase of Bryan Heitkotter's track education.

It all culminates in January at the 24 Hours of Dubai: That's when video-game player and GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter will race, professionally, with European GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough in a Nissan 370Z.

The GT Academy was a contest that started last December in which Gran Turismo 5 players competed for a seat in a real race car. Thousands entered, 32 players rose to the top, and 16 of those were invited to a seven-day whirlwind racing and evaluation program at the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom.

“I'd raced at autocross events and track days, but I'd never been wheel-to-wheel before Silverstone,” Heitkotter, 30, said when asked about his racing experience and goals. “My ultimate choice would be driving in Formula One, but I think I'm a bit old for that. Otherwise, endurance racing.”

The Silverstone program included seat time in the Nissan GT-R and 370Z. Events consisted of go-karting, skid-control exercises, rally driving and wheel-to-wheel racing. It was Heitkotter's first racing-school experience, and he came away with more than just a daily helmet headache.

But he won the Silverstone test, which was also turned into a reality show with people getting voted off daily. The week ended with the top four drivers going at it on the 3.7-mile track. After that, Heitkotter was swept into a six-month driver-development program that began last July. It included driving, obviously, but also a strict diet and exercise program to keep him in top form.

Heitkotter might not be a bad bet this January, if past winners of the GT Academy are any indication. The first winner, Lucas Ordóñez, came in second place with his LMP2 team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. And, if Heitkotter drives anything like he did in our two-race GT5 session, I wouldn't bet against him, either.